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When you think about food at a bowling alley, you might think of pizza and fries, not freshly grown lettuce and herbs. But according to Wired.com, a group called Gotham Greens has transformed the roof of an abandoned bowling alley in Brooklyn into a thriving, 15,000 square-foot greenhouse.

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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits synthetic nitrogen fertilizer in organic production and encourages natural compost. But it does not test for un-composted feces. At least 140 people across eight states have now fallen ill after consuming hepatitis-A-infected certified-organic frozen berries and pomegranate seeds; 61 were still in hospitals in mid-July.

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Genetically modified foods are feared by some, but are these fears this justified? Dr. Patrick Michaels, director of the Center for the Study of Science at the Cato Institute, says no, and here explains why. . . .

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Organic farmers in many developing countries – such as Turkey, the apparent origin of this outbreak – still use raw human sewage to fertilize crops! In many people’s opinion, that practice qualifies as “organic” – whereas using safe modern fertilizers and insecticides does not! Even worse, feces contamination cannot be washed off. It’s embedded in the plant.

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How safe are organic foods, especially when compared to conventionally grown varieties? Not as safe as many assume. A recall has just been announced for certified organic berries sold at Costco. According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 106 people in eight states have contracted hepatitis A, a debilitating disease that can last for weeks or months, and even be deadly, after eating Townsend Farms frozen berries bought at the box store retailer.

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A popular restaurant chain has cows encouraging people to “Eat Mor Chikin.” Now, one British bigwig is encouraging people to eat no meat at all. According to the Times of London, former World Bank economist Lord Stern says that people will need to become vegetarians to stave off terrible man-made global warming.

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Opposition to genetically modified food has been a top issue for environmental activists, and has led to bans and other official anti-GMO policies in Europe and Asia. But now, in a stunning turnaround, Mark Lynas, the British activist who helped spur the anti-GMO movement worldwide, says he got it all wrong.

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To feed a growing world population, our ability to maximize fish yields has become a very important priority. But with environmental concerns being raised about depleted ocean stocks, and health alarms scaring others away from eating farmed fish, this matter has become a slippery one to solve.

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For years, charges have been made that a common chemical found in plastics, known as BPA, is responsible for birth defects, obesity and even cancer. And while activists have been successful getting their message into the media, they’ve been less successful in getting it validated by peer-reviewed science.

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A campaign is growing to pressure food companies and consumers into boycotting palm oil because of its alleged environmental impacts. But according to a new report by the non-profit group, World Growth, palm oil is a highly efficient source of food and fuel, and is a good way to produce fossil fuel alternatives and capture carbon from the atmosphere.

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This week’s headlines: Another huge, awful outbreak of food-borne bacteria. This time the worst in modern history; perhaps 2000 sickened, and more than 20 dead. At least 500 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome. That means liver damage—and potential death from kidney failure. More than 1000 cases of severe diarrhea. Usually it is the very young and the elderly who are most at risk of serious consequences, but this outbreak targeted young adults, mostly women.

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Extended droughts were far worse in the Little Ice Age that ended just 150 years ago, but big droughts are also likely in the world’s future if we are in a new warming cycle. This prospect pushes the un-exciting Black-Eyed Pea into an unlikely starring role.

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In the old days, we cooked hamburgers rare, juicy and flavorful. In recent years, because of E. coli 0157:H7, we’ve had to content ourselves with hamburgers that were gray and dry or run the risk of serious illness. E. coli 0157:H7 is the relatively new and vicious “Jack-in-the-Box” bacteria that killed four kids in Seattle in 1993. It was seen first by researchers in the 1980s. Since then, it has killed hundreds and sickened thousands more with bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal cramps, and even liver failure.

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Worried about how milk and meat production are causing global warming, singer Paul McCartney and the U.N. recently launched a campaign in Europe called “Less Meat=Less Heat” while other activists are promoting “meatless Mondays.”